To Enforce One's Justice
by Nightfoot
Summary: On their way to face Alexei, Flynn and Yuri realize their different views of justice are incompatible. Before they can deal with Alexei, they'll have to work out their problems with each other - violently, if necessary.


Set mid-canon during Zaude, with a slight canon divergence in when Yuri meets up with Flynn. This story was commissioned by Suguelya on tumblr! If you'd like to commission a story of your own, my info is on my tumblr (fontasticcrablettes) or check the link on my profile.

* * *

 **To Enforce One's Justice**

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Flynn asked.

"No, so stop asking." The corridor stretched ahead of them, wet and dark as every other corridor. They'd been wandering the halls of Zaude for at least an hour, Yuri would guess, and he couldn't stop wondering how much Alexei was accomplishing in that time. It had all started when Flynn, Witcher, and Sodia ran into them. Yuri had been pleased, because Flynn was a strong fighter and could help them get past the monsters and knights standing between them and Alexei. Then they'd had to go and stumble onto a giganto monster, and Yuri was sure Sodia was at fault for waking it up. He didn't have any evidence for this, but he was in a foul mood and felt like blaming somebody.

The fight had gone well enough. The monster was strong, but their party was stronger. Yuri had thought they'd be able to put it down and go on their way when one of its arms, thicker than a tree-trunk, had swung straight at him and Flynn. They'd landed in a pool of water several storeys down, hopelessly separated from the rest of the group. The plan was to navigate toward Alexei and hope they met up with their allies on the way, but they'd been at it for an hour now and he had no idea if they were any closer to Alexei, or back at the entrance.

"The fact that we haven't run into any members of the Royal Guard makes me think this is the wrong way."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Fine, Flynn, next time we come to a crossroad, you pick the direction."

"There's no need to get snippy with me."

"I'm just trying to be helpful. I know how much you like being in charge." They came to a T-intersection and Yuri held out a hand. "Well? Which way will it be, oh lord of directions?"

Flynn shoved Yuri into a wall and started down the right fork. "The others haver probably reached Alexei by now."

"I sure hope not. I want to kick that bastard's ass myself."

"We ought to hope they have. This isn't about personal vengeance, Yuri. As long as someone stops him."

"Yeah, sure…. I just really wanted to be the one to kill him myself."

Flynn slowed his pace and turned his head just enough to glance at Yuri. "You're planning to kill him?"

"You're not?"

Yuri could hear the strain in Flynn's voice. "We've talked about this, Yuri. We can't just take on the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Alexei needs to be brought to justice."

"That's what I'm going to do. I'll give him my own justice." If Flynn had actually seen Estelle in so much pain rather than just hearing about it later, he'd agree with Yuri. That was the problem with everyone who attained too high a position; they were separated from the true suffering and could easily pass it off as 'not that bad'. Yuri had thought Flynn would be different, since he'd grown up in the lower quarter, but he seemed to be turning into just another useless knight who was more concerned with promotions and securing his career than actually causing change.

"No, you're not."

Yuri narrowed his eyes. "Are you planning to stop me?"

They turned around a corner and came to a long, wide hallway lined in pillars of blue stone. At the far end was an arched door twice as tall as Yuri. Flynn stepped around to face Yuri, stopping their progress. "I'll do what I have to do to enforce the law."

Yuri rested a hand on his hip and met Flynn's gaze. "And I'll do what I have to do to enforce justice." After Ragou and Cumore, Yuri had little faith in the law to adequately condemn Alexei. If Yuri didn't take him out, he'd no doubt get let off with a slap on the wrist. "I'm pretty sure that's the door to Alexei right there. Get out of the way so I can end this."

Flynn closed his eyes for a second and took a breath. "Yuri, I've put up with your activities so far. You've killed two men extra-judiciously and I have every right to arrest you. In fact, I should arrest you, and the only reason I didn't is because of personal bias. This time, I won't stand for it. Alexei needs to be brought to justice according to the law."

"No."

Flynn narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Generally, when people say 'no', they mean they aren't going along with what the other person said. I'm going to kill Alexei. Either help me, or stay out of my way."

Flynn shook his head. "I can't let you do that."

"Are you gonna stop me?"

Many people expected swords to make dramatic sounds when they were drawn. There was supposed to be a sharp scrape of metal that filled silent rooms. In real life, the sound of a sword being drawn made little more than a gentle fwup. That tiny swish might as well have been a cannon blast for how it made Yuri's heart throb.

"I will if you force me to." Flynn held his sword at his side, but the stiffness of his arm said he wasn't relaxed and was prepared to use it at a moment's notice. "If you're not going to follow the law, then you can stay right here."

Yuri's sword swished out of its sheath, which he then tossed aside without breaking eye-contact with Flynn. "If you don't move, I'm going to make you."

"I'll move when you agree on the proper way to stop Alexei."

"Get out of the way!"

Yuri made the first move. His sword rushed toward Flynn, who quickly parried. Before Yuri could second-guess this course of action, Flynn had switched to the offensive and the fight had begun.

* * *

Yuri's sword clanked as it hit the ground. He dropped to his knees and he took a deep breath while his free hand clutched the freely-bleeding laceration across his hip. On the ground, Flynn closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. Blood trickled from his nose and across his cheek to the stone floor. Flynn's sword lay a few feet away, where it had fallen after Yuri's last attack. He hadn't been trying to seriously injure Flynn, but the way Flynn clutched his wrist warned that Yuri's solid blow to the armour had crippled it. This was the first time Yuri had beaten Flynn at anything, and he had never felt so wretched.

"Shit," Yuri breathed and dropped to his knees. "Are you still breathing?"

Flynn cracked his eyes open. He took in Yuri, then made a quick movement for his sword. Yuri didn't even stop him. Flynn grabbed it in his left hand and his whole face tensed as he forced himself to sit up. Yuri had to wonder how many bruises or cracked ribs he'd left on his friend.

"You're… not… gonna kill him." Flynn sniffled and then coughed on the blood.

Anger flashed. "You're still trying to stop me?" He threw his arm forward and punched Flynn square in the stomach.

Flynn doubled over, dropping his sword again and gasping. While he was still hunched over, his fist surprised Yuri and smashed into his chest. Yuri lunged at Flynn and pushed him onto his back, but then Flynn twisted and the movement made the gash on Yuri's hip burn. This distracted him enough that Flynn pushed him off and tried to pin him this time. Yuri rolled out of the way and brought his knee up to jab an injured spot on Flynn's torso.

Yuri had fond memories of wrestling with Flynn. They'd roll all over the floor, laughing and shouting. Sometimes Flynn let Yuri win, which ended with Yuri sitting on Flynn's head, and sometimes Flynn got Yuri's arms pinned behind his back and refused to let go until Yuri said Flynn was the best.

There was no laughing this time. The only sound was the distant trickling of water and the thuds and grunts of their scuffle. Yuri found himself straddling Flynn, triumph roaring in his chest and his arm raised with a fist, ready to crash down on Flynn's face. His hand almost dropped, and then Flynn turned his head away and closed is eyes. Yuri saw Flynn and remembered sitting on his head, remembered laughing, remembered crashing onto their shared mattress in a sweaty heap and being ready to play together again in five minutes.

When Yuri's fist came down, it dropped onto the stone beside Flynn's head. He croaked, "Why are we doing this?"

Flynn turned his face back to Yuri and tentatively opened his eyes.

"How did we get here?" Yuri asked, more to himself than Flynn. "Aren't we supposed to be friends?"

"I thought we were. It wasn't supposed to come to this," Flynn muttered at the ceiling. "What was it we always said? We'd fight..."

"To make people smile," Yuri whispered back and slumped his shoulders.

"It seemed so much simpler in the lower quarter. Before all... this. I wish... I wish we could go back to those days."

Yuri sighed and wiped away a bead of blood running down his temple. "Our hands are too bloody to go back. We've chosen our paths. It's too late to turn back."

Flynn's eyes drifted to Yuri's and then to his own hands, lying on the cold stone. "Yes... mine as well as yours, thanks to inaction. Maybe even more so when I think of how many suffered while I blindly supported Alexei. That's why I was so adamant about arresting Alexei, I think. This is my responsibility. I let him run unchecked and now the whole world is in danger." He squeezed his eyes shut with a grimace. "I have to fix my mistake the only way I know how."

"You're so stupid. But, I guess I am, too. I feel the same way."

Flynn snorted and forced a little smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Funny how we end up fighting when we're both trying to do the same thing."

"Yeah. We're quite a mess, huh?" Yuri tried to smile too, but it quickly faded away. Yuri took a deep breath and crawled off of Flynn. "You know what made those days in the lower quarter better? You were at my side. There were a lot of times I wanted to do things, but I always had your voice in my ear, telling me no. Boy, you were annoying."

"And so were you. Always forcing me to break rules. Always making me deliberate whether it was necessary to do what I was told."

Yuri held you a hand. "Come on. Get up. The others will be here soon." When Flynn didn't immediately reach for it, Yuri added, "Take it. Neither of us clean enough to be dirtied by the other."

Flynn wrapped his fingers around Yuri's hand "We've made a lot of mistakes. A lot of things we can't come back from." His grip tightened. "I can't fix my mistakes alone, and neither can you. Maybe we can take care of one big problem together, though."

Yuri heaved and Flynn got to his knees. "I won't kill Alexei if it looks like it's possible to take him in alive."

Flynn nodded. "I won't stop you from killing him if he refuses to go quietly."

Yuri tugged Flynn's hand to pull him forward and then wrapped his other arm around Flynn's shoulders. "Sorry for kicking your ass."

Flynn pressed his forehead into Yuri's shoulder. "It was mutual. Look, you're still bleeding." He rested his hand on Yuri's bloody hip and muttered, "First Aid."

The pain faded and Yuri was able to squeeze Flynn tighter. Estelle could fully heal both of them before they faced Alexei. "Thanks. Let's not do that again."

"Yeah. Let's focus our strength on fighting other people. We're stronger when we fight back to back, not face to face."

Yuri released Flynn when he heard footsteps approaching. The others were nearly here. "Let's go take down Alexei. Together."

"Yeah. Together."


End file.
